New Orleans Emergency Medical Services (NOEMS) will be the first ground ambulances in the region to carry blood for emergency transfusions for patients with traumatic injuries.
“We did the numbers over a year. There were about 80 to 90 patients that we envisioned that blood could have been given and an opportunity for a difference to be made, so this is a really huge opportunity that we’re excited to tackle,” said Dr. Emily Nichols, medical director for NOEMS.
Uncontrolled bleeding is the leading cause of preventable death. Early transfusions have been shown to improve outcomes for patients with major traumatic bleeding.
“When you lose a trauma patient that you think gosh another couple of minutes would have made a difference, it’s really hard. It’s hard to have that conversation with the family. It’s hard for even a seasoned team to see that over and over again,” said Dr. Jennifer Avegno, director for the New Orleans Health Department.